|
Read Full Article (file size: 2786203 bytes) Cited by
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH,
VOL. 43,
W05430,
doi:10.1029/2006WR004932,
2007
A field assessment of the value of steady shape hydraulic tomography for characterization of aquifer heterogeneities
Geoffrey C. Bohling
Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
James J. Butler Jr.
Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Xiaoyong Zhan
Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Michael D. Knoll
Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, USA
Abstract
Hydraulic tomography is a promising approach for obtaining information on variations in hydraulic conductivity on the scale
of relevance for contaminant transport investigations. This approach involves performing a series of pumping tests in a format
similar to tomography. We present a field-scale assessment of hydraulic tomography in a porous aquifer, with an emphasis on
the steady shape analysis methodology. The hydraulic conductivity (K) estimates from steady shape and transient analyses of
the tomographic data compare well with those from a tracer test and direct-push permeameter tests, providing a field validation
of the method. Zonations based on equal-thickness layers and cross-hole radar surveys are used to regularize the inverse problem.
The results indicate that the radar surveys provide some useful information regarding the geometry of the K field. The steady
shape analysis provides results similar to the transient analysis at a fraction of the computational burden. This study clearly
demonstrates the advantages of hydraulic tomography over conventional pumping tests, which provide only large-scale averages,
and small-scale hydraulic tests (e.g., slug tests), which cannot assess strata connectivity and may fail to sample the most
important pathways or barriers to flow.
Received 27
January
2006;
accepted 1
February
2007;
published 22
May
2007.
Keywords: hydraulic tomography.
Index Terms: 1829 Hydrology: Groundwater hydrology; 1846 Hydrology: Model calibration (3333); 1835 Hydrology: Hydrogeophysics; 0520 Computational Geophysics: Data analysis: algorithms and implementation.
Read Full Article (file size: 2786203 bytes) Cited by
Citation: Bohling, G. C., J. J. Butler Jr., X. Zhan, and M. D. Knoll
(2007),
A field assessment of the value of steady shape hydraulic tomography for characterization of aquifer heterogeneities,
Water Resour. Res.,
43,
W05430,
doi:10.1029/2006WR004932.
Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
|